Climate Camp Site Taken at Blackheath, Greenwich

Wednesday 26th August saw hundreds of Climate activists converge on Blackheath in Greenwich for the set up of the 2009 London Climate Camp. Groups gathered at locations across the city for midday, awaiting instructions to be sent by SMS which led them in stages towards the site. The starting locations were specifically chosen to highight ecological or social issues which Climate Camp seeks to draw attention to. There were groups at the head offices of oil corporations BP and Shell, at the headquarters of mining company Rio Tinto, at the site of the 2012 Olympics and at the sites of the deaths of Jean Charles de Menezes and Ian Tomlinson. Each swoop group had speeches which explained the relevance of the sites and how they linked in with the ethos of the camp.

By 2pm Indymedia had reported the site was taken and the process of assembling the marquees, tents, tripods and perimeter fences for the camp began - the advance team were soon joined by the converging swoopers (pics). By 4pm, with over a thousand people now on site the camp had its first meeting which looked at the significance of the site's location in Blackheath, which has a history of association with protests in England, notably during the peasants revolt of 1381 (See Press Release)

Additions

We teamed up at Kings Cross Station coming from five points across the capital, by train, bicycle and bus. Once we’d all checked that we had the Climate Camp legal support phone number written on our arms and our wellies tied firmly to our backpacks, we set off from Aldgate tube station on the Northern Line. As we emerged into the heart of the city, we quickly bumped into a few other familiar faces looking equally anticipatory and wide eyed. With our A-Zs in hand, we made our way to the headquarters of one of the worst climate criminals in the world; mining company Rio Tinto. Despite the notorious and fuel intensive nature of their work, we ended up in a small leafy square and occupied the space with our upbeat spirits, our offbeat music and our unbeatable determination to challenge the root causes of climate change.

As we were getting into the swing of eco-bingo and making bunting, we heard speeches about the ecological injustices committed by Rio Tinto , including poisoning rivers and breaking unions, and also a talk on corrupt backroom deals of carbon business. And then- suddenly- the announcement we had all been waiting for came! We were to head with all possible speed to London Bridge Station. We set off as a crowd of sixty complete with legal observers, musicians and of course, journalists.

We sang on the platform and helped each other with our bags as we jostled for space on the Tube. And as we lined up on the escalators on the other side- the message went up that we were taking the overland train to Blackheath. As we finally approached the campsite, we could see the banner strung tightly between the tripods, Canary Wharf emerging from the mists beyond the heath. This is Common Land, the place where Wat Tyler sparked rebellion in 1381, struggling against bad government and unfair taxes.

And now this common is the site off a new struggle. We are reclaiming our right to the commons. False solutions like carbon trading are no more than a way of buying, selling and polluting something that belongs to us all. In targeting the banks, corporations and politicians in the City, w stand side by side with those who are fighting to keep the Commons alive around the world, indigenous rights campaigners, the growing movement for climate justice and ordinary people everywhere who are realising that we all need to take action to halt catastrophic climate change.